This section is intended to provide a background or context to the invention that is recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
UPnP technology defines an architecture for pervasive peer-to-peer network connectivity of intelligent appliances, wireless devices, and personal computers of all form factors. UPnP is designed to bring easy-to-use, flexible, standards-based connectivity to ad-hoc or unmanaged networks whether in the home, in a small business, public spaces, or attached to the Internet. UPnP technology provides a distributed, open networking architecture that leverages TCP/IP and Web technologies to enable seamless proximity networking, in addition to control and data transfer among networked devices.
The UPnP Device Architecture (UDA) is designed to support zero-configuration, “invisible” networking and automatic discovery for a breadth of device categories from a wide range of vendors. In other words, the UDA enables a device to dynamically join a network, obtain an IP address, convey its capabilities, and learn about the presence and capabilities of other devices.
In a UPnP network, such as a network established in a person's home, a wide variety of different devices can freely interact with each other. For example, a user may be able to play music or video stored on a computer or mobile device on a stereo or television system. A user could use his or her mobile telephone to program different devices, and a plethora of other functions could also be implemented among multiple devices.
In the UPnP environment, at least one device serves as a control point, through which various actions can be implemented. For example and in the context of a mobile telephone, a user could have images or video stored on his or her phone displayed on a television, could have audio played on a stereo, or could perform a myriad of other actions involving other rendering devices. Although the use of such mobile devices in a UPnP network has many advantages, the use of a mobile telephone or similar mobile device in the digital home, for example when acting as a UPnP/Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) control point, poses some problems. For example, if a user is watching a movie or television program, it can be difficult or even impossible to hear his or her mobile telephone when it is ringing. Likewise, if a user is watching a program, he or she is not likely to notice an indication of an incoming email or short message service (SMS) message.
Another problematic situation can arise in connection with “home automation” systems, such as alarm system, a heating system, or a cooling system. Some such systems, when UPnP-enabled, can transmit messages to other UPnP devices when certain actions occur, such as a heating unit not functioning properly or an alarm fault being detected. However, if such messages are programmed to be transmitted to a mobile telephone, and if the user is watching a television program when a message is transmitted, he or she may not become aware of the message until a much later time.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a system that would help to address the above-identified shortcomings.